In the Bundesliga they are battling together for points with Bayer 04 but they will be on opposite sides in the Africa Cup: Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou. The Leverkusen defensive duo head home before New Year to prepare for the continental tournament with their respective national teams.
Tapsoba with Burkina Faso in Group A face Ethiopia, Cape Verde plus Cameroon. The last country is the host and also the first opponent for Tapsoba and Co. The game on Sunday, 9 January (kick-off: 18.00 CET), is also the opening match of the tournament.
Kossounou with the Ivory Coast in Group E will play Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone. The Ivorians start against Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, 12 January (kick-off: 21.00 CET). The Ivory Coast squad is provisional and will be finally confirmed on Christmas Eve. Kossounou is very likely to be included as the Werkself player has been in the Ivory Coast team for five of the last six qualifiers.
The time away from the club starts on 27 December. A total of 24 teams will compete from 9 January for a place in the final that will be played on 6 February (kick-off: 21.00 CET) in the Cameroon capital Yaoundé.
UEFA held the draw for the play-offs in the Europa League in Nyon today. Bayer 04 were not in the draw as the group winners progressed straight to the Round of 16. The Werkself finished top of Group G with 13 points from six games.
16 teams take part in the second round including the eight third-placed teams from the group stage of the Champions League plus the eight group runners-up in the Europa League. The first legs will be played on 17 February with the second legs on 24 February 2022.
The Werkself can play 14 of 16 clubs in the Round of 16 as teams from the same country cannot play each other at that stage of the competition. Real Betis, group opponents of the Gerardo Seoane team, play Russian league leaders Zenit St. Petersburg.
Europa League play-off matches::
Sevilla vs Dinamo Zagreb
Atalanta vs Olympiakos
RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad
Barcelona vs Napoli
Real Betis vs Zenit St. Petersburg
Borussia Dortmund vs Rangers
FC Porto vs Lazio
A change of coaches at the last Europa League opponents for the Werkself: Ferencvaros, who won 1-0 against Bayer 04 last Thursday, parted company with head coach Peter Stöger on Monday. Ferencvaros suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat at Debreceni VSC yesterday and lost top spot in the OTP Bank Liga.
The 55-year-old Austrian only took charge of the Hungarian champions in the summer. In Germany, Stöger coached FC Köln and Borussia Dortmund.
Bayer 04 congratulate Michal Kadlec on his 37th birthday today (Monday). The former Werkself player joined on loan from Sparta Prague in 2008 and signed permanently in the following season. The defender made 158 appearances for the Werkself and scored 14 goals in those games. The left-footer reached the DFB Cup final with Black and Reds in 2009 and was a runner-up in the league two years later.
The Czech Republic full-back moved on to Turkish top-flight club Fenerbahce in 2013/14. Kadlec has been at Czech first division club FC Slovacko since 2018. Many happy returns.
Arsenal, one of the favourites in the UCL, visit the BayArena for the first leg in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16. Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie, two long-serving Bayer 04 players, are set to return to the BayArena for the first time since leaving the club. As part of the match against the Gunners, fans can look forward to exciting Sound of Dreams festival activities at the stadium. Club members can also secure another SoD Unplugged ticket for a chance to win a special prize. Today’s matchday news.
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A Champions League showdown at the BayArena awaits. On Wednesday night, 11 March (kick-off: 18:45 CET), the Werkself face Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Ahead of the clash with the Premier League leaders, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the Gunners' exceptional strength at set-pieces, a returning striker and "believing in yourself". Forward Christian Kofane also spoke about the approach to the Round of 16 tie and congratulated his personal idol - whose previous success also motivates him for forthcoming challenges.
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There is no question Arsenal are one of the top favourites to win the UEFA Champions League. Spanish coach Mikel Arteta's team won all of their matches in the league phase of the competition. On Wednesday night, 11 March (kick-off: 18:45 CET), the Gunners, who also lead the Premier League, will play the first leg in the UCL Round of 16 at the BayArena. Two former Leverkusen players are particularly looking forward to the clash at their old stomping ground. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Werkself welcome FC Augsburg to the BayArena on Bundesliga matchday 30 in the 2025/26 season. The match on Saturday, 18 April kicks off at 15:30 CEST. Bayer 04 have organised a family matchday with exclusive offers for parents and children. Information on ticket sales.
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